Christmas Magic
by Shell1331
Summary: Random Christmas-themed, diner AU one-shot.


It was a slow night, and Yōhime sighed, slumping against the counter and glancing at the clock. Ten o'clock…two more hours to go.

The holidays were weirdly unpredictable—sometimes the diner was packed and the evenings flew by. Other times, like tonight, there hadn't been anyone darkening their door since seven thirty, and at nine, the owner had sent the other employee home and gone home himself, leaving Yōhime to close.

She poured the last of the coffee into a mug for herself, then set a fresh pot to brew in case anyone came in, and pulled a paperback novel from where she'd stashed it under the bar.

It was a frivolous fantasy romance, but engrossing nevertheless, and before long she was absorbed in the tale, cheering on the assassin attempting to win the heart of the princess.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone cleared their throat right beside her. As it was, a startled squeal slipped out, despite her attempt to hold it in.

Leaning against the front counter was a remarkably handsome man with vibrant golden-yellow eyes and unusual bicolored blond-atop-black hair. And even though the tip was secured in a short ponytail, it stuck out almost in defiance of gravity.

Where did he come from? She hadn't heard the bell on the door chime—it was as if he'd appeared out of thin air.

Pull it together, Yōhime, she fussed at herself as she scrambled to stuff the book into its hiding space and greet her customer.

"Ah, I'm so so sorry! I didn't hear you come in!"

He chuckled. "Good book?"

She felt the blush creep up her neck into her cheeks. "Y-Yes… But, um, please, have a seat wherever!" He took a seat at the counter, and she handed him a menu with shaky hands, chalking her nerves up to him startling her earlier. "What can I get you to drink?"

He set the menu aside, unread. "Just a cup of coffee."

She nodded and brought him a steaming mug, plus a little carafe of cream and a tray with various sweeteners. As he thanked her, the phone rang, a rarity at that time of night, and with an apologetic smile, she hurried to answer it.

"Kyoto Diner, this is Yōhime. Oh, hello! Mmhmm. Yes, sir, it is. Yes, I will. You have a good night."

Yōhime felt the weight of her sole customer's eyes on her as she hung up.

He grinned at her. "Boyfriend?"

"W-What? No!"

His smile inched wider, and she saw the mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Ho? Awfully quick to deny it…"

Her eyes widened, and flustered, she hurried to explain. "No, no, really! It was my boss, checking in on things. He does every time I close alone! I don't—"

"Simmer down there, sugar. I was just messing with you," he interrupted, chuckling.

"R-Right. Of, of course. Sorry…"

He waved her off. "No need to apologize. So…" He paused and peered at her name tag. "Yōhime… Do you close by yourself often?"

She shrugged. "As much as the other employees," she said vaguely. Yōhime wasn't typically one to share personal details with her customers, plus you could never be too careful. All manner of people wandered into late-night diners, and no matter how attractive he might be, he was still a perfect stranger.

As if reading her mind, he stuck out his hand. "Nurarihyon."

"Eh?" She blinked. "Oh, um…I'm Yōhime." Then she cringed. "Um, yeah, guess you already know that…" She placed her hand in his, prepared to shake it, when to her surprise, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Yōhime."

It certainly wasn't the first time a customer had flirted with her, but for some reason, this felt different. He wasn't creepy, and he didn't rub her the wrong way.

Oh, Yōhime, get your head out of the clouds. This isn't a romance novel. You don't know anywhere near enough to assume he's not creepy.

She extracted her hand from his grip and gestured toward his mug. "Refill?"

"Please."

She topped off the coffee, and was unable to hide her surprise when he poured four packets of sugar and cream into the coffee.

He saw her expression and shrugged as he stirred. "I like sweet things…" Then he gave her a roguish wink. "Probably why I like you, sugar."

Her cheeks grew warm, and she tripped over her words. "Oh… I…" To her relief, the bell on the door suddenly jingled, and two bundled-up couples walked in. "Excuse me…"

The four customers had clearly been indulging in some holiday cheer earlier in the evening, and they were both amusingly chatty as well as more than a little high maintenance.

Normally, Yōhime would've welcomed the distraction from an otherwise tedious night with the time dragging by. Tonight, however, she found her thoughts—and gaze—straying to the handsome man, this Nurarihyon, seated at the counter.

As the foursome's food cooked, she moved to check on him and was dismayed to see him tugging his coat on. A silly, unreasonable reaction, she told herself harshly. You'll likely never see him again.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked politely.

"Not tonight," he replied and slid a bill across the counter. "Keep the change."

When she glanced down, she saw it was at least triple the amount of his bill. "What? Wait, no, that's too—"

Nurarihyon smirked and waved. "Sorry, sugar, gotta run… See ya around."

And with that, he'd disappeared out the door, leaving her speechless and baffled.

* * *

As it turned out, her assumption that she'd never see Nurarihyon again proved to be incorrect. In the ten days that followed their meeting, he'd shown up for six of them—well, technically seven, but Yōhime had been off that night. Since his visits after that had coincided with her schedule, she had a sneaking suspicion he'd wheedled when she worked out of a coworker. Not that she blamed them…he was unnaturally charming.

So much so that, on evenings when it was just him in the diner and her closing alone, he had somehow managed to get her to talk about her life, something she never did. Only her boss and one other coworker knew that her father had died six months prior, and she had never told anyone that he had racked up massive amounts of debt in addition to the bills for his medical treatments. And she'd certainly never disclosed to customers or coworkers that she had been in nursing school but forced to drop out when her father had taken ill. She longed to go back, but she was buried in her father's debts—what a fool she'd been to co-sign on things with him—and as things stood, she'd be lucky not to lose the house.

Each time he came, Nurarihyon only ordered coffee, and like the first time, when he paid, he tipped her an insane amount, no matter how much she protested.

On December 23rd, the diner was bustling with people needing a pick-me-up after—or in between—their last-minute Christmas shopping. Yōhime was thankful for a busy night. She didn't want to think about how this would be her first Christmas alone. She'd even volunteered to close on Christmas Eve, insisting that her boss and coworkers leave early to spend time with their families.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nurarihyon slip in the front door, strolling leisurely to an open seat at the counter. One of the other waitresses handed him a menu, and then as he said something to her, she nodded and smiled, her gaze darting over to Yōhime briefly.

Yōhime's face heated, and she ducked her head as she carried a tray laden with orders out to a boisterous table. She had learned, to her embarrassment, that no matter how much one of the other servers tried to help him, Nurarihyon would stubbornly insist on waiting for Yōhime.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't flattered. She'd also be lying if she said she wasn't developing feelings for the rakish golden-eyed man.

But she told herself that attractive, likely well-off men like him weren't interested in women like her, and that Nurarihyon probably flirted with everyone and she shouldn't read too much into it.

"Hey, sugar. Busy night?" he asked when she finally got to him.

"Uh-huh," she said somewhat breathlessly. "Coffee?"

He winked. "You know it."

She brought it and its fixings, and as she started to scurry off to wait on another table, he grabbed her hand.

"Oi… What're you doing tomorrow?"

"Ehhhh?" It took a moment for the question to register. "Um, working? Why?"

He frowned. "Working on Christmas Eve, sugar? At least tell me you get off early."

She shook her head. "Regular hours." She shrugged and offered a sheepish smile. "Folks gotta eat, and it's not like I have anything else to do." A particularly impatient man glared and snapped his fingers at her, and with a hasty apology, she dashed away from Nurarihyon before the irritated customer got further upset.

Yōhime made sure Nurarihyon's coffee stayed topped off, doing drive-by refills throughout the busy night, but she never did get another chance to chat with him before he had to leave. A short, sharp-featured man and gorgeous yet unfriendly-looking woman she'd never seen before had appeared, and Yōhime could've sworn they scolded Nurarihyon. Not that he'd looked particularly remorseful, but he'd paid his bill and left with them all the same. And try as she might, Yōhime couldn't help the disappointment that filled her.

* * *

She wasn't surprised when she didn't see him on Christmas Eve. After all, he clearly had friends, or family—perhaps even a wife, a snide little voice whispered—and the holidays were spent with friends and family, not some random waitress.

The diner was as quiet as a tomb and about as somber from nine p.m. till midnight, and the ambient holiday music, which normally would've cheered her up, only served to make her more depressed. As the clock struck twelve, Yōhime turned the key in the lock and flipped the sign on the door to "Closed."

She had already done most of her end-of-night routine, leaving only that which couldn't be done till they officially closed. She had just finished those tasks when she heard someone pounding on the doorframe. She sighed and ignored it. Here it was, Christmas Eve, and people were still acting a fool. Hopefully they'd read the sign and go away.

A moment later, a quieter tapping sounded on the glass of the door.

"Oh, good grief!" Yōhime huffed in annoyance. She stalked over and pointed toward the sign. "I'm sorry, but we're—"

The sight of a familiar face cut her off midsentence. She hurriedly unlocked the door, ushering Nurarihyon in out of the chilly night and locking the door behind him.

"What are you doing here? It's Christmas Eve!"

He grinned. "Yep. That's why I'm here."

"Huh? What? Why?"

Disregarding her inquiry, he instead asked, "Done closing up?"

She tilted her head. "Yes, why?" she repeated.

"Great! Grab your stuff, and let's go!"

Yōhime stared at him, confused. "Let's go… Me? With you? Where?"

"Oi, oi… It's Christmas, sugar. You looked so melancholy last night, saying you didn't have anything to do, there's no way I'd let you spend it all alone."

All the air left her lungs in an instant, and she blinked rapidly as her eyes swam with tears. Surely he didn't feel the same way about her that she did about him… "But…but…"

Nurarihyon covered her lips with a finger. "Nope, no buts. C'mon."

Clearly he wouldn't be deterred, so she sighed and grabbed her purse. He walked ahead of her out the door and then waited right behind her as she locked the door. She couldn't figure out why he was standing so close until she turned and saw his gaze directed above her head and a wickedly mischievous smile on his face.

She followed the line of sight to the doorframe above them…where there was now a sprig of mistletoe that had not been there earlier in the day.

"Would you look at that… Mistletoe. You know what that means, don't you?" One eyebrow arched suggestively over those piercing gold eyes.

Yōhime licked her lips. "I…do."

Nurarihyon snugged an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "No objections?" he asked softly, cupping her cheek and tracing her lower lip with his thumb.

She shook her head.

The kiss was gentle, more gentle than she would've anticipated from a man as flirtatious as he was. Then, when they parted, before she could even draw a breath, he scooped her into his arms.

She yelped in shock. "What're you—"

A firm kiss, longer and deeper than the first, silenced her, and then he pulled back, chuckling as he carried her toward his car. "I'm sweeping you off your feet, sugar, obviously. Isn't that what the hero's supposed to do to win the girl he loves?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Surely he hadn't said what she thought he had. There was no way, just no way, he could love her…could he? She swallowed hard, daring to hope. "L-Love?"

He set her on her feet by the passenger door. "Oh, didn't you know? Well, to put it bluntly, I'm in love with you." When she just stared at him, incredulous, one side of his mouth quirked upward. "Don't leave me hanging, sugar. Or am I doomed to be one of those poor bastards resigned to unrequited love?"

"Oh! No, no! Definitely not that…" She bit her lip and examined her feet. She knew it was madness, to fall in love with a man when she'd only known him for two weeks, but she couldn't change the way she felt. "I'm…in love with you too…"

Nurarihyon wrapped his arms around her, practically crushing her in a tight hug. "Best present I've ever gotten in my life."

His statement reminded her that she had something for him in her bag, and she pushed away. "Speaking of presents…"

His eyes widened as she handed him a small package. "You got me something?"

She felt her face flush and shrugged. "It's nothing much…"

When he opened it to reveal a coffee mug, he started laughing. "Sugar, are you trying to tell me I should drink coffee at home instead of the diner?"

"What? No! I just thought you…that you like coffee…" Crap, crap, crap, she hadn't meant to imply she didn't want to see him!

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Tell you what… How about you just marry me, and then I can drink coffee with you every day?"

To her infinite amazement, as he said this, he produced a ring seemingly out of nowhere, and dropped onto one knee.

Yōhime clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a gasp. Unable to speak, she merely bobbed her head up and down, swiping away stray tears.

Nurarihyon grabbed her left hand and slid the ring on her finger. "Merry Christmas, Yōhime."

"Merry Christmas," she whispered.

As a child, she'd always wanted to believe in magic. Now, as an adult, she wasn't convinced it wasn't real—at the very least, she certainly believed in the magic of Christmas.

The End

* * *

Note: I have no idea where this came from. Probably fatigue, Christmas music, and holiday-themed commercials. And the fact that apparently I am incapable of writing what I *need* to be writing. Anyway... hope y'all enjoyed it!


End file.
